Here is the deal: I am buying a Haida 26 "Keet" in Anacortes, and bringing her down to my liveaboard slip on Lake Union. Currently there is my Islander Bahama 24 "Gusto" in my slip. The goal is to get Gusto from Lake Union to my buoy in Quartermaster Harbor, and get Keet from Anacortes to Lake Union.

I have only weekends to acheive this, and there is no overflow moorage at my marina.

A CLOSE SHAVE: One weekend
A really close shave would be to leave Anacortes late Friday night (10pm), motor to the locks, and Eastlake. It is 70NM from one to the other, with a railroad swing bridge, the Swinomish Channel, a lot of open water, the ballard locks, and the Fremont Bridge in between. I would then transfer my belongings late in the day Saturday, switch boats, and motor back to the locks. Having calculated hull speed and distances and a detailed plan, this looks like it would get me to my buoy in QM around Sunday night 6pm, totally exhausted, needing to be in class at 9:30 am the next morning.

LESS CLOSE SHAVE: Two Weekends
Arrive at Anacortes Friday night, shop for groceries, replace a nav bulb, do some skateboarding with my friend whose mom will drop us off. Saturday morning, leave for Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge. Leave the Haida at the dock for a few hours or overnight, commute to Eastlake on WSDOT ferry boat. Depart Eastlake in my Islander for Eagle Harbor public dock. Move belongings from one boat to the other, then head back to Eastlake in the Haida, leaving the Islander either at anchor or at the public dock in Eagle Harbor for the week.

Return next weekend and bring Islander to Quartermaster Harbor.

I like this option because I would not have to leave port on Friday. I also would not have to raft up at my marina at Eastlake that lacks overflow moorage.

THE RELAXED WAY:
Arrive at Anacortes Friday night, go skate, get KEET ship shape, and leave Saturday morning. Go through the Swinomish Channel and down to Eagle harbor. Leave KEET at anchor in Eagle Harbor and bum a ride to the dock. Ride the ferry to Eastlake. Go to classes for a week.

The next weekend take the Islander to Eagle Harbor, raft up to the Haida, transfer my stuff, and sail KEET to my empty slip at Eastlake. Leave the Islander anchored for a week.

Return the next weekend to bring the Islander to my buoy in Quartermaster.

This option keeps all of the trips down to some reasonable amount per weekend.

I have a good amount of crew who want to help.

So what would you do? The one weekend, two weekend, or three weekend method?

There's an absolute ton of very large crap in the water these days, much much more than normal, and did I say very large? I did. I'm not usually a nagging marm about these things, but for the next week or so, I'd think long and hard about being on the water after dark anywhere in the Sound

Looks like the relaxed way may be the right way! I have noticed the junk in Puget Sound while on the ferry. It is probably due to the unusually high rainfall and spring tides. Good business for deadhead hunters.

Now that I am a little more awake etc, The trip south depending upon tides etc, could be long! It took me 10 hrs from Edmonds to anacortes, granted with a 1 hr stop in LaConner.......but still, then it is another 1.5 to shilshoal, then 1-1.5 to Lk Union. You will be out in the dark at some point in time. You may find you will want to stop on day 1 in Edmonds if it starts getting dark, along with the "HOW" much junk you are seeing in the water, wind, weather etc.

Reality is, probably a combo of #2 to #3, with possibly a night in route included going south.

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Telstar 28
New England

You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.

—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)

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You aren't going to make it from A-town to the locks in one day unless you can time it to ride some big currents. Fastest I've ever made the trip from Shilshole to the south end of Lopez is 9 hours and that was taking advantage of a big ebb to Pt. T and then a flood to Cattle Pass (34' boat). Plan on one full weekend (overnight at Langley?) to get it down there and then do your swap the next. You do not want to PLAN to be traveling in the dark at this time of year. As others have mentioned there is more wood out there right now than I have ever seen, and a lot of it is partially waterlogged making it very hard to see and very dangerous, even in daylight. Good luck.

Does anyone have experience with the 24th street dock in Ballard? It is public, owned by the city and run by volunteers. Apparently there are a few squatters living there, even though it is "closed between 2am and 5am."

Currently I am talking to the commodore at UW yacht club about keeping my boat there for 5 days. If neither the 24th street dock nor the UW yacht club moorage work out, I may have to keep my boat at the guest moorage at fishermans terminal, which would cost $100 at the least.

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